The relationship of personal and social resources on coping and individual well-being in caregivers of dementia patients PublicDeposited

Descriptions

Alzheimer's disease, a chronic and irreversible form of
dementia, has been recognized as one of the most critical
medical-social-economic problems facing our country. As
Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias progress,
the patient becomes increasingly dependent upon family and
natural support systems to provide care. This dependency
can place the caregiver in a role that is both difficult and
demanding. The purpose of this study was to construct and
assess a theoretical model which investigated the effects of
patient functioning, personal and social resources on coping
behaviors and adaptational outcomes (caregiver well-being)
in caregivers of dementia patients.
The theoretical model was tested with data from
caregivers of patients with dementia throughout a 14 state
region primarily in the Southwestern and Northwestern United
States. A total of 502 caregivers participated in this
study and only those caregivers who were related to the
dementia patient were selected for in this study. Data was
obtained through self-report questionnaires mailed either
directly to the homes of the family caregiver or sent to
support group leaders who them mailed the questionnaire to
the caregivers.
The theoretical model, which proposed latent variables,
was assessed with the LISREL V computer program. Several
other statistical analyses were also utilized, such as:
one-way ANOVA's, Pearson product-moment correlations, factor
analyses and multiple regression. Collectively the results
from the LISREL analysis indicated a poor fit of the data to
the proposed theoretical model. Subsequent analyses were
conducted to further explore the validity of the proposed
constructs and the structural relationships between them.
Based on these results, it was found that several constructs
were more integrated and conceptually complex than
previously proposed. Internal control beliefs, problem-focused
and refraining coping behaviors, and social support
satisfaction were found to be predictors of positive
adaptational outcomes in caregivers. Chance and Powerful
Others control beliefs, avoidant/evasive and regressive
coping behaviors were found to be predictors of negative
adaptational outcomes.
These findings lent support for the development of
intervention programs which assist caregivers in developing
specific skills necessary for coping with the potential
long-term role of careprovider. The findings also indicated
the strong relations between social support and a
caregiver's ability to adapt to the caregiving role.